The 74th Hunger Games
by hungergamesfan30
Summary: A parody of the 74th Hunger Games.
1. Chapter 1

The 74th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 1 : The Reaping

District 12

When I wake up, I feel Prim besides me. I can judge by the sun that it is about nine o'clock in the morning. Good. I do not feel like hunting today anyway. Today is the day of the Reaping. I close my eyes and the next thing I'm conscious of is that the sun is brighter now. I fell asleep again. I hear my mother and Prim in the kitchen, apparently helping some ill client of theirs again… I can't ever fall asleep again on the day of the Reaping. I jump out of my bed and dress myself in my simple old pants and green T-shirt. As I walk outside, I can tell that it's around half past ten now. So I do still have some time to go to Gale. Gale is my most precious friend and hunting mate. No, we are not in love with each other, even though in some way we are. I guess just as friends. I walk to the end of the street to find Gale's mother, Hazelle, outside cleaning up the path. Hazelle is one of the people I really like. She's friendly, but like me, doesn't say or ask much. I greet her too and go into Gale's house, an old wreck like with two rooms, like mine. I go and sit next to Gale by the hearth. I see he is chopping some wood we got a few days ago in the woods and join him. After a while Gale stands up and walks to the dining table. He comes back with half a loaf of bread.

"Happy Hunger Games, Katniss." He says as he hands it over to me. Off course, the presents! I put my hand in my pocket and it comes back with a piece of goat's cheese.

"Happy Hunger Games." He takes the cheese and pulls his pocketknife from his hunting bag which was apparently besides the chair all the time. In slow motions he begins to spread some of the cheese over the bread and divides it into two. One half he hands to me and we both take tiny bites of the bread, because we both know we can't eat this delicious food at once.

"Mmm…" I hear Gale sigh. And right he is. The combination is so good that I almost forget that it's the day of the Reaping.

"You weren't here to hunt this morning," Gale says.

"I fell asleep again. We will go tomorrow." I answer. Gale shrugs.

"Yeah, if we're both here then…"

"How many times is your name in this year?" I have to ask. Each year we sign up for tesserae for both our families, which means that we get grain and oil each month, but our names will be put in an extra time per person each year. Gale has two little brothers and his mom, who's pregnant, and every year he signs up for tesserae. I only have Prim and my mom to feed.

"Forty-two." He says without bothering to think about it, "What about you?"

"Twenty." I guess he doesn't want to talk about it, and neither do I, so we just work further trough the pile of wood. Together it goes faster than alone, so we are finished very fast. Now I guess it is about eleven o'clock, which means I need to get going home. I finish my bread and move to the door while tell Gale to be on time at the square today. While I walk home, I think of the Reaping. Which kids will this year be chosen this year to go into the arena. Which twelve-to-eighteen year olds will be chosen to die. Every year ever since the Dark Days 74 years ago, two kids will be picked from each of the twelve districts in Panem to fight to the death in an outside arena. One girl and one boy of each district. The rules are very easy. You start at a big golden horn, called the Cornucopia with the other twenty-three tributes. After sixty seconds the gong sounds and you can grab one of the backpacks spread around the Cornucopia, or not. You have to survive in an arena, which is each year a different one. It goes from watery swamps to dry deserts, and a lot of times all you can eat is in the backpack. There is always a lot of poisonous fruit in the arena's. This is all because of the Capitol, who won the war in the Dark Days, who thought of the Hunger Games as entertainment for it's city. That's what the Hunger Games is about. That's what every child and it's family dread as the Reaping begins each year over and over again. That's what two children will know they go into this year.

As I walk inside, I find two dresses on the bed. One of which Prim will wear to the Reaping, and one I will wear. I see that Prim will wear the red dress that I wore in my first year as well, as she is twelve now, and that I will wear a long, pink dress that once was my mother's. Now I hate dresses, but as you have to come to the Reaping in 'style', you have to wear one.

Slowly I dress in my Reaping-clothes and braid my hair down my back.

I find Prim put on her too and looks at me with big eyes.

"I wish I was as pretty as you are." She says shyly.

"I wish I was as pretty as _you _are, little duck." Prim gives me a hug as we have to leave. I grab her hand and accept the luck my mother wishes me. Slowly we are nearing the square and I see that it, as it does every year, transformed again from a place where it's always calm, to a place where there is an over flood of people.

I hear Prim sniffing besides me and try to calm her down, because I don't want her crying at her first Reaping.

"Prim, there are thousands of names in that big glass ball, and yours is one. You will not get chosen." That doesn't seem to calm her down.

"I'm not worried I get chosen, I'm worried about you. I don't want you to get into that

arena." Prim says. Now I don't know what to say anymore. Off course, small chance that I get picked, but it is there. So all I say is, "It's going to be all right."

We enter our names in the system, so they know we're here, and get to the piece of the square where we have to say goodbye for now. I instruct Prim to go to the section where the twelve-year old girls have to stand during the Reaping.

I go myself to the section of the sixteen-year old girls and look for Gale in the section of eighteen-year old boys. Isn't he there? Off course he is. He must be. Then our eyes meet each other and I see the concerned look in his eyes which I must be having as well in mine. Both our heads turn to the podium in front of us at the same time, because we hear the patting on the microphone, which means Effie Trinket will start with the Reaping. Yes, there she is. This time she has green hair – who did think of the style in the Capitol – which must be a wig because it sits slightly to the left on her head. On one chair sits a man, Haymitch Abernathy, a big drunk who's always on time in some way, on another a man called Rins Greeners, who is very smart but individual, and on the final one sits another guy called Tommy Longgits, somebody who just doesn't let know much of himself. All middle-aged men who were the winners from District 12. The only winners from District 12. Women don't win often, because the men are stronger. At the edge of the podium is the district's mayor, mayor Undersee.

Now Effie Trinket's voice sounds all over the place.

"Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be _ever _in your favour! We will show first a little movie from the Capitol itself!" She says proudly as she corrects the wig. A small movie gets projected onto the Justice Building, and after it finishes mayor Undersee does his boring, long talk about how the Hunger Games have to be played each year to show that the Capitol still is the ruling city which no-one can defeat. Off course, mayor Undersee doesn't say this himself, but every decent person in each district knows they mean it like that. As the mayor leaves the podium again, Effie Trinket comes to the middle and starts the Reaping. As usual, the ladies are first.

"Wasn't that wonderful? Now let's start. Ladies first!" Death silence. You could hear a pin drop now. All you hear is the ruffling of the papers inside the big, glass ball as Effie Trinket grabs one. My heart-beating's fastening.

"Here we are. Primrose Everdeen!" Effie calls.

No. Not Prim. Now I have the feeling my heart stops at once. I just can think of how the odds aren't in our favour. As I see Prim walking to the podium, I can't stand it anymore.

"Prim, stop!" I have no idea what I'm doing, "No! I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute."

I jerk myself free from the arms of the Peacekeepers and hug Prim. What did just happen? This can't be real. Prim's name was only in there once. My mom collects Prim and I hear Gale's voice as well behind me. I watch how Gale grabs Prim on the screens as I walk to the podium. Effie seems in a good mood.

"Well then. What's your name, honey?"

"Katniss Everdeen."

"Then you must be her sister! How wonderful that is." Effie pulls me to the podium and sets me on one side of her. Then she walks to the second big glass ball and grabs a boy's name.

"Peeta Mellark." I know that name. I don't know him directly, but the owner is somebody familiar. I see his face and I remember. He is the boy with the bread.

When I was twelve years old, my father died in a mine explosion. I was desperate and so was my mom. She did nothing but staying in bed, so I had to keep the household. My father explained how to use the bow and arrow some time to me, but I remembered just a small amount of the information. He told me how to shoot and I practised. When he wasn't there anymore we couldn't get enough food. One day I walked along the bakery of Peeta Mellark's parents. He looked out of the window and saw me while I sat at an old tree, not knowing what to do. He came outside a few minutes later with a piece of burned bread and a blue eye.

His mother hit him, because he burned the bread. Did he do it for me or was it just an accident, because after checking if his mother looked he didn't throw the bread to his pig, but to me. He ran back inside and as I picked up the bread and ran home, I got hope again that I could do it, that I could survive. And I did. I remembered how to use the bow and arrows and went in the forbidden woods of District 12 to hunt ever since. That's where I met Gale. In the woods, when he was hunting to feed his family as well. So we got hunting partners and learned each other all kinds of things. But that's not the point. Peeta Mellark saved my family's life's, so how can I ever stop owing him, let stand kill him?

He doesn't look at me, though. I guess he has forgotten. But didn't I catch his eye focused on me every time I looked his way? Weird.

Effie Trinket says a few last words and guides us inside the Justice Building. Here we can say our final goodbye's to our loved one's.

First my mother comes. I tell her not to let Prim starve, that I love her and she leaves again.

Then Prim walks in crying. I give her a hug. Probably the last one, so I make it count.

"Will you try to win?" She asks.

"Off course I will." And now I have to, for her. She won't let me go. Finally a Peacekeeper has her leaving and I tell her I love her.

The next person coming is Gale.

"Hey Catnip." My real name is Katniss but the first time I said it to him, he understood Catnip.

"Don't let Prim or my mother starve." Is all I can say.

"I won't. Look Katniss, I know you can win, we both know that. You will, too." No. I can't win. Off course not. Everybody in the arena is a killing machine, except maybe Peeta. I can't ever win. But I can't tell him that, can I? That sounds as if I've already given up. Although, I have…

"Well? Katniss, I know you. I know you too good to tell that you believe you can win. But you at least have to try. Because I also know that you can win if you do." He does know me too good.

"I will try." I tell him.

"Now seriously, please." Gale is getting impatient.

"I will try." I say as convincing as I can.

Finally a Peacekeeper collects Gale and I am left alone. Nobody else will come. Good. Alone. Now he should understand that I am in shock as Peeta Mellark walks in. Peeta Mellark! Does he come to say goodbye to me as well? I don't get it.

"Hi, Katniss. I asked the Peacekeepers if I could talk to you for a moment as well."

"Okay. What's wrong?" I really don't get it.

"Look. I know you will try to ignore me, but I know you're a good person. I saw you in school a few times and I know you don't hate everyone you see." I do. I hate people. But I let him finish. "I can't do this, Katniss. I can't lie." He stares at me with those big, blue eyes.

"My father told me once he was in love with your mother when he was little. She didn't know him well. Ever since I watched you come and go from school and I fell in love with you." He gives me time to let it sink in, but it doesn't. It's too much. It doesn't even make sense. We never spoke! I guess he's waiting for an answer of me now, that doesn't come. Finally I say it.

"I don't know what to say." Is all I can get out of my mouth. It's true. I can't.

"You don't have to say anything. Just think about it. Maybe we can become friends…" Before I can say something, he's left again. What! I don't get it! Off course, it would be nice if I had a friend, or even an ally, but this is too much at once. I have to kill him finally!

I'm still thinking of this as I enter the big, long, Capitol-marked train. The train that will bring me to the Capitol for my preparation for the Hunger Games.


	2. Chapter 2

The 74th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 2 : The train ride

Capitol-train

I still can't believe what has happened. I just lay on my bed in the train as we go past some big cornfields. I hate windows. I close the curtains and sit back. Nobody can interrupt me now. But of course, they do. Effie Trinket walks in to say that dinner is ready and that I have to come to the dining car. Effie closes the door behind her and I hear her footsteps walking to another car. While I stand up to my bed, something falls from the pocket in my jacket, onto the ground. I look down and on the ground lies a little package with a paper note on it.

I pick it up and read the note. "Hi Katniss, this is a little present for you. I hope you like it and will wear it as a token. Regards, Peeta Mellark." Ugh. Weirdo. It sounds so stupid as I read it. It is stupid. Peeta is stupid. Still, I'm curious, so as I open the package, I find a small pin with a Mocking Jay on it. I like the pin, so I keep it.

I redress in jeans and a T-shirt, and put the little Mocking Jay where my heart is. I hope Peeta doesn't get it wrong. I slowly move from car to car, with no need nor will to hurry, and end up at the dining car, where Peeta and Effie already sit, waiting. Great. I hope they're gone soon, because I do not feel like talking. But they do. Every minute Effie tries to start a conversation, and Peeta jumps in. The conversations don't last long finally.

"What a nice dress you wore, Katniss." Effie tries to get me into the conversation all the time.

"Thanks."

"Was it yours? Where did you buy it?"

"It's my mothers." It ends. Finally Haymitch comes in the room and trips over a chair. Peeta and I look at each other, grinning, but Effie doesn't seem to like that.

"Where's the others?" Haymitch asks dully.

"Rins and Tommy are having dinner in their rooms. They are really tired." Effie says, as convincing as possible.

"Oh." Haymitch drops himself on the chair and looks at the empty table. "No food?"

"We were waiting for you." Peeta says annoyed. What a fun meal this will be. I take in my company. Haymitch gulping down a few glasses of wine. Effie looking at it, as if he's a pig. Peeta, just like me, taking in the car. Maybe he's not that dumb. I hear a door closing behind me, and as I turn around, a blond girl walks in with a pan of mushroom soup. I make a slight choking sound as the smell reaches my nose. Nobody heard it fortunately, because with their minds they would think I'm a lunatic.

I hear Peeta sighing besides me, which I don't get since he works at a bakery and in my eyes always has had enough food. But the girl is serving the meal, so I don't complain.

As the warm liquid enters my bowl, I start scooping it all up. This doesn't seem to please Effie though, because she's looking at me like she did with Haymitch.

"I was hoping for kids with good manners this year." This makes me mad and I start eating as neat, but still as fast, as I can. Effie focuses on Haymitch again.

"Haymitch, eat something." Haymitch is deep in his own thoughts, but gets back to the real world as Effie shakes him out of them. Still he doesn't eat, and after Effie telling him he should a thousand times, he begins to take bigger sips of the soup. I wish I could just scoop it all up. I wait for the second meal, though, and as the blond girl carries it in, I produce two more of those giggle-sounds. A giant turkey is served. I know that because I saw some passing by in the woods, and I shoot a few. Again, I start scooping my plate until it's empty, but this time I do take another plate.

"Don't eat too much, we still have a dessert!" I find myself ignoring Effie and finish my meal. Just as I want to ask what the dessert will be, the girl appears again, and serves a big chocolate cake. As I ask if I can have a glass of water, and thank the girl as she brings it, Effie looks at me with that weird look again.

"No, Katniss. She's an Avox. You can only talk to her if you give an order, because they can't talk. I want badly to ask why not, but I guess this is not the right moment as the girl still stands there with a sad expression. She walks out, and I have to ask.

"Effie, why can't they talk?" This seems to upset Haymitch.

"They did bad things, Katniss."

"Effie?" I ask again.

"The Capitol chopped their tongues of, as a punishment. You can't be mad with the Capitol, the Avoxes did bad things." I don't want to talk anymore now. Of course I'm mad with the Capitol! What does she think? It seems that I'm with three weirdoes in a car then. Or actually, a drunk, a freak and a fool. Or said even differently, Haymitch, Peeta and Effie. Great.

I finish my meal and leave to my car without saying a word. I'm tired. At least I do get why the other victors had dinner in their cars. They didn't want to stay with the fool show.

And right they are. I just go and sleep in my underwear, but of course, I can't sleep. I'm very tired though, and I will need every minute of sleep I can get, because I won't get much chances to sleep in the arena. After an hour or so, somebody knocks on the door. I don't want people in my car. I pretend that I'm sleeping, but when I wake, I find that it was no pretending anymore. I also find that the person knocking on the door just came in, and is now lying on the couch opposite of me. Peeta. What's he doing here? He is awake, though.

"So you're awake then?" He asks.

"Guess so. What are you doing here?"

"No idea actually. I think I walked in my sleep. I do that sometimes." Yeah, right.

"Okay… Well, you better go back to your car, because you don't want Effie finding you here."

"Look Katniss, we need to talk." Oh no, not again. "Back in the Justice Building, well, it was true what I told, and I get it if you don't want to talk to me. But what do you think now?"

"I don't know. I guess I could use an ally." We laugh. It's nothing to laugh about, really, but I guess we're just sort of desperate. "We'll see, Peeta."

"OK. I guess I will have to live with that for now. I liked that pin you wore yesterday night, though." A wink and he's left again. I don't feel like thinking about it now, so I don't. I still try to get some sleep, but that's not going to happen anymore. I guess I'll just go to the dining car to see if there's any food yet. I dress in the same clothes as I did yesterday and move to the dining car. Nobody's there, but I just sit down and wait for another Avox to get my breakfast. Eggs with bacon and some rolls. I feel like eating fortunately, because I don't want to enter the arena starving. I am so curious what it is like this year. A desert, or maybe an island? I hope so that there are woods, but there so little chance that I can't hope so. The chance is bigger than Prim's to get picked from that glass ball though, but I will see in a week or so anyway. Rins enters the car.

"Here yet?" He doesn't seem as surprised as he should while saying that sentence. I just give him a bored look back. He doesn't seem to notice anyway. He's already got his egg and bacon served, so I don't interrupt him. While I take little sips of my milk, Tommy enters the room too. Smart thing to follow their lead and not Haymitches. Go to bed early and wake early. Remember that. Apparently Haymitch couldn't sleep, because he walks in with those dark-blue circles around his eyes. He's just too hung-over that he doesn't notice. I'm fine with the victors, they're at least not as talking as Effie and Peeta are. Rins grabs a book from his pocket which I think has to do with mathematics, and Tommy eats three plates of rolls.

"Any strategy already, Katniss?" I've never heard Tommy talking before, but he sounds okay.

"No." I hope he doesn't need any explanation.

"Well, you better start thinking then." Tommy says, "Are you good with some weapons?"

"I can shoot a little with bow and arrows." I hunt since I was eleven, but I don't feel like telling that. He does, though.

"More than a little, Tommy. She shoots every animal right in the eye!" I look at Peeta with disbelief. What is he trying to achieve now?

"Well, show me!" Tommy says with enthusiasm. "Follow me!"

I walk after him through a few cars, until we end up at one with more than a dozen bows and sheets of arrows. Twenty-five metres from where we are standing is a dummy to shoot on.

Tommy doesn't seem as bad as Effie after all, but he is from district Twelve, and not from the Capitol. "Well?" I hear at his tone that I should begin. I grab a simple wooden bow and a sheet of arrows and practise them out a bit, because they are different then mine at home. Finally I shoot an arrow at the dummy. We are so silent, you could hear a pin drop. In the end we hear the dummy falling onto the ground. As we walk to it, Tommy in front, then Peeta and then I, we can see that the arrow exactly hit the place where a heart should be.

Tommy looks at me with excitement. "You really are very good. Now listen Katniss, don't let anyone except your mentors know that you can do this. Not even Effie. Almost no-one can shoot arrows like this." I nod. "You have to go and practise here more often, to see if you can get any better than this." I hear a sad expression in his voice. Quickly he walks away. Peeta looks at Tommy as if he's sorry for him, so I look at him with a questioning look.

"He won his Games with shooting arrows. He was the champion of Panem, but finally he was too lonely to go on, and he moved in with his family. They couldn't come to him, because his mother lost one leg. Now they live in the richer part of District Twelve, not the Seam nor the Victors Village." The Victors Village is the place where the victors of the Hunger Games live. There is one in each district, with about a dozen houses. I just nod back and walk away, thinking of how the odds aren't in his favour. I don't know why actually, because he is happy with his family now, but I do feel sorry for him. I think it's because he couldn't shoot anymore, and still can't. I imagine a world without bows and arrows. I could've started with knifes when my father died and I had to take care of the family, but I knew more about the bow and arrows. As I enter my room, I suddenly feel very tired. I just let myself fall on my bed and slowly fatigue takes over.

The next thing I know, is that the sun is setting and Effie is knocking the door down. I give a small squeaking-sound to let her know that I'm awake, and she slams the door open.

"Katniss! Where were you? You and Peeta didn't come out of those rooms all day!" I tell her that I was at breakfast this morning with Peeta, but that there was nobody else, so we both took a nap.

"Well, tomorrow morning at eleven o'clock we arrive at the Capitol, so you better be ready. Now dinner is ready. Can you please tell everybody that I'm using the toilet before I'm there?" We both go in opposite directions and after I told everyone that Effie will be a little later, Tommy asks, "So Katniss, can you do anything else? I told the others about the shooting."

"I can handle knifes a bit. And I know a lot about edible and inedible plants. That's quite it, I guess. Don't you have to know what Peeta can do?"

"Oh, we already spoke about that. Can you make decent fires?"

"Yes." I drink a cup of hot chocolate, which is really good, and grab a roll from the basket. Effie walks in with a big smile and starts to talk about how great we're going to find the Capitol, but I don't bother listening, because both Tommy and Rins are shaking their heads so slightly Effie can't see it to me, as if they're trying to say this is not the case, and I do not feel like listening anyway. Peeta told me that Haymitch never sleeps in the night, and always holds his knife closely to him. That's why Haymitch is never there by day. He needs to sleep. I think he doesn't sleep in the night because of the nightmares he would get of the Hunger Games, but I don't dare hope so. Because that's where I'm going. At home I barely dare watching it, even though I have to, because it would be so bad being there, in the arena. I do watch though, and I've learned a lot from it. Well, fortunately I won't get out, because I don't want to sleep with a knife and drink my life away forever. After dinner I go to my room, but I want to watch the extra broadcast of the Reaping and the train station somehow. So I click on the TV in my car, and it begins. I don't know why I put that on, maybe because I wasn't feeling like watching yesterday evening, but it's terrible. Prim's name getting drawn, me walking up and taking her place, Gale carrying her away. Since I've been there, it's weird to see, but even more terrible when thinking of the place I am now, and the places I'm going. I decide that I will just go to sleep. The next morning Effie rouses me with her knocking on the door and I tell that I will be down at the dining car soon. I put on a nice dress which is laid aside for today, and put the Mocking Jay pin onto it. I don't feel like taking my mother's dress, so I don't. Maybe they will be so nice to send it back to her. I end up at the dining car, working some rolls away. They are so good, so much better than the ones we have at home. I wonder if Peeta ate this bread at home in the morning. Somehow he has the same look on his face that I have, the look which says, "This is so good! I never eat this." Weird. He's a baker's son, so why does he have this look? Not my problem. Mine is that we arrive at the Capitol's train station in five minutes. Peeta and I walk to the window together and I see the crowd in the distance. The weird hats, wigs, clothes, shoes and whatever more come closer every second, just as the 74th Hunger Games do…


	3. Chapter 3

The 74th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 3 : The Preparation

The Capitol

I try badly not to moan as Octavia harshly pulls a paper strip off me. "I'm sorry", she squeaks in her funny Capitol-accent, "That was the last one."

She turns to Flavius and Venia, who are busy with my hair and nails. So that's my prep team.

Octavia, a woman with a pea-green skin. Flavius, a man with orange, curly hair. And Venia, another woman, with aqua-blue hair. I just hope my stylist is more decent than they are. I don't think so, though. The stylists are always those freaks, worse than the prep team. We'll see. "You're ready to meet Cinna now." Venia says. Some Peacekeepers guide me to a, what I call, sitting room. It's a quite modern room with its white walls, blue velvet couches and a small wooden coffee table in the middle. I sit down on one of the couches, and the Peacekeepers march away. I don't even have time to study the room any further, because somebody walks in right away. He cautiously walks to the couch opposite of me and sits down. "Hi, I'm Cinna, you're stylist." He speaks so different from the other Capitol-people. Not with the weird accent at all. I take my time to study him. Black hair, slightly tinted skin and around his brown eyes, just a hint of golden eyeliner. Not bad at all. He looks quite attractive. But I'm not somebody who'd fall for him.

"You're new, aren't you? I've never seen you in any of the other Games." I answer.

"No, this is my first time."

"And you got stuck with District Twelve." Normally the new stylists always end up with us, because we're the worst, poorest district and all.

"No. I asked for District Twelve." I look at him with slight surprise. After a slight pause, he says, which surprises me even more, "How stupid we must look to you in the Districts."

He's completely right. The Capitol, with its weird fashion styles, we think they are weirdoes. But Cinna is different. Well, at least so far he's not a weirdo. So I don't answer.

"Anyway, I wanted to tell you what Portia, the stylist of your fellow tribute Peeta, and I, wanted to dress you in for the opening ceremonies." He pauses, "As you know, you have to dress in clothes which match your District. Now Twelve, is coal mining." I nod. It means that I have to sit in that chariot with stupid coal-mining helmets. Once, our district was fully naked, except for some coal powder that was spread on the bodies of the tributes.

"But I didn't want that stupid thing with the helmets they do every year. I'm here so they will remember you. And that's what I'm going to do." I'll be naked for sure.

"So what can you do with coal?" He asks. "You burn it. But you're not afraid of fire, are you, Katniss?" I take a moment for that. I don't like to be burned, that's a fact.

"Well, Portia and I made you a special outfit. I want you to see it now, can you follow me?" Cinna walks back to his door and as I follow him, we end up in a room similar to the last one, but bigger and with closets and mirrors. He pulls open a door and disappears in a small black room, which is what I can see, full of clothes. He takes out one clothe-hanger with a long black cotton, where must be some sort of clothing inside.

Cinna calls in my prep team again, and they set me in a chair. It appears that the first

make-over of them was just basic stuff. Now we're going to prepare for the real tour to the City Circle: the opening ceremonies. There all tributes will sit in chariots together with their fellows, and we'll have to smile and blow kisses, everything I'm not good at really. The tour takes about forty-five minutes, and when we arrive at the City Circle, president Snow will give his ever-the same speech about how we are worthy to each other and stuff. Now my real worry: Cinna's going to set me and Peeta on fire.

After two hours or so, Cinna looks at me with sparkling eyes. He leads me to the closest mirror and instructs me to open my eyes. And when I do, I see myself in the mirror. No, not myself, a unknown girl, who will burst into flames soon. A girl who's not afraid of anything, not afraid to burn her fragile fingers, but who goes into her Games worthy. I love it. I'm wearing a dark suit, which leads from toes to neck. They've not put on much make-up, though. Just worked away the dark spots under my eyes from no sleep. They made me look recognisable, because when I'm in the arena, sponsors must know who I am. I notice Cinna and the prep team are staring at me, their eyes asking 'And? Do you like it?'. As an answer, I say, "I love it." Because I do. Well, it will be nicer when there are actual flames, but this is a good start. Cinna sits down in approval and the prep team is sent out of the room.

"Come on, girl on fire. The opening ceremonies begin soon." So I follow him, until we end up at big doors with chariots and tributes spread across the room. But no interacting, only with their mentors. I see Rins and Tommy standing together at our chariot. As I walk towards them, I see Haymitch has shown up, and is now also stumbling their way.

"You okay?" He asks.

"Why not?" I say. I step into the chariot and wait for Peeta. And I wait, and I wait, and I wait. But he doesn't come. I see Cinna has noticed as well and I ask Rins if he knows where Peeta is. He and Tommy both shake their heads. It's Haymitch, to my surprise, who does know.

"The boy said he was ill. Will be here soon." Then we all just stand staring at the door in desperation. The first four chariots are already pulled through the doors when I feel a hand on my shoulder. "There you are." Peeta says. Everybody sighs.

"There _you_ are." I answer. "Next time little quicker maybe?"

"I was lost."

"You were ill." Says Rins, "Or so we heard from Haymitch."

"I wasn't ill, I was lost. Portia said she'd go to her seat, and I got lost." Continues Peeta, "But I'm here now anyway." One look at his costume and I see we're dressed exactly the same. Well, I feel a little more secure with Peeta and fire anyway, since he's a baker's son and practically lives with fire. We step into our chariots and Cinna tells us it's no real fire as he catches us on fire. I hear Cinna yell we must hold hands. First I don't want this, but Peeta grabs my hand anyway. As we're pulled onto the streets and I see us on one of the giant screens, I see why we have to. Not one other tribute connects with his or her fellow tribute. We look like friends, as if we're going in together. I smile, blow kisses and as one hundred or so Capitol-people try to catch my kiss, I actually giggle. As we end up at the City Circle where the president will give his speech, I notice on a screen, that we're getting filmed much more than the other tributes. Well, it's hard to keep you're eyes off us anyway, with the glowing and all. The president gives his normal speech, and we're driven back into different, but just as big, doors, away from the public and noise. Cinna and Portia are already waiting inside, and as we step out of our chariots, Rins and Tommy also quickly move towards us.

"You did great." Cinna exclaims. Effie puts her hand on my shoulder and gives Peeta and I both a compliment, then asks, "Where's Haymitch?"

"Said he went to the bar." Says Tommy. Effie seems pretty glad that he's not joining us anyway, and who can blame her? We take a ride in the elevator and I directly move towards my room, because I need to change into something more comfortable fast. I open my drawers and take out a jeans and t-shirt, and head to the dining room. Everybody else is there already, except for Haymitch of course, so I take a seat opposite of Peeta. He wears a jogging pants – smart move – and the same t-shirt as I do. It's really hideous, us dressing like twins all the time. A blonde Avox walks in and serves a chicken soup. I have more hunger than I thought, because I gulp down three bowls without any effort. Then I see Effie's staring at me again and I come to my senses. I carefully put down my bowl and eat the last bit with my spoon. Well, Effie's attention is turned to the door now anyway, because Haymitch stumbles in. He's done earlier than I thought, and I guess Peeta thinks this as well because I notice him having the same expression as I probably have. But Haymitch walks on to his room right away and comes back in another jeans. "Ah Haymitch, there you are." Effie looks quite annoyed.

"Going down again." He exclaims as if he notices us just now. He passes us on his way back to the door and accidentally throws a wine glass on the ground, spraying Tommy with wine. It's a good thing he just changed into one of his non-public clothes, because he's wet all over.

As he goes off to change again, Haymitch literally falls out the door. Effie looks at him with disgust. "Well, at least he's gone again." She looks around as if she's said something completely hideous, "I'm sorry but he's so bugging me with those _manners_."

We eat two other servings and go to the sitting room, where the recap of the opening ceremonies will be played in five minutes.

I sit down and wait for it to start, and when it eventually does, I can only think of how great Cinna's made us look. We look really gorgeous in the fire. And I was right, it's hard to keep your eyes off the fire, and off us. I even notice some of the tributes jealously staring at us all the time, I guess because they don't have a stylist as nice as Cinna or Portia. They all look like they do every year, in tree suits and fishing nets and stuff. After forty-five minutes or so, the whole screen get's black and we're left to go to bed. My last thought before I fall asleep is that this recap was the best so far in these Games. I drift off into a restless sleep, and when I wake it's only just six o'clock, which I guess is called early in the Capitol. I stand up and notice I have my clothes of yesterday evening still on, so I just walk to the dining room without dressing. Today the tributes will have their first training day out of three. On the last afternoon we have to show the Gamemakers what we can do best, and we get a score from one, which is really bad, to ten, which is the very best. But first we have to be in the Training Centre at exactly ten o'clock. I just sit down without eating, not knowing what else to do. But after half an hour hunger is taking over and I fill my plate with as many delicacies as possible, because finally my goal is to put on as much weight as I can for in the arena. I refill my plate two more times, and when at eight o'clock still no-one has arrived, I go back to my room. Apparently I drift off again, because Effie wakes me by telling me how "It's already half past nine, Katniss." I dress in some clothes which lie on top of my dresser and head to the dining room where, surely, the whole party is already waiting. I find Effie, Peeta and our mentors at the table, telling me to eat. So I quickly grab another plate and fill it with just a small amount of eggs and bacon. "You probably need to eat a little bit more, Katniss." Says Rins in a sympathetic voice. I explain that I already ate this morning, and they just nod. After a quarter Effie get's nervous for us to come late, so we head downstairs a ten minutes early. When we get at the Training Centre, everybody is already there though. Peeta and I both get a note with a "12" pinned on our shirts and we gather with the others in the middle of the room. Atala, the trainer, explains us the rules. We can do everything we want, practicing our killing- or survival skills, but no attacking one another. If we need a practicing partner, there are always some attendants to practice on or with. Then she let's us go. The advice Rins gave us, was to avoid the things we're good at, so we can keep those for the Gamemakers. They, by the way, are sitting at a place just above us, so they can keep a sharp eye for their tributes. Tommy told us to also stay together, which looks silly because, again, we're dressed in the same clothes. Only now every tribute wears the same, we're all dressed in grayish suits, but on mine my little Mocking Jay pin is sparkling like never before. Peeta and I look at each other with the question of where we should go first. We go and make campfires eventually, and after half an hour or so, Peeta says, "Nice pin, by the way." I laugh. "Thanks for wearing it. It suits you."

I look at his face, expecting some sarcastic expression, but Peeta's just staring seriously at the bunch of wood in front of him. "Thanks." After, in total, an hour or so with the campfires, we can both make one with wood and matches decently. So I suggest we move on to the

knot-tying station. I just want to have done as many survival skills as possible, because I think that's the most important, since we're literally in survival games. We move from station to station, even after the lunch, in which Peeta explains me the different origins of them. District 4 is fishing, and their loaves are covered with a sort of seaweed stuff. District 12, coal-mining, has black powder on them. And so on. We train until five o'clock, when Effie collects us to ride the elevator up again. I head to my room right away, since I want to change right away, and follow Peeta's example to dress in a jogging pants and again, a normal, comfortable

t-shirt. This time a blue one. I leave to the dining room right after that, since dinner will be served soon, and I think about how the training days will not be televised, nor the Gamemaker-session. It's all pure secret. I wish I could see Peeta on that screen though. No! How can I wish that! "Remember Katniss, he's an idiot." I tell myself. I open the door to the dining room and find only Effie there. "Well, Katniss. How can it always be you who's changed the first. The girls should take longer!" She gives me a disapproving shake with her head, "And you don't even look nice!" I just ignore her and take a seat at the table, combing the end of my braid with my hands. Then, to my surprise, Cinna and Portia walk in. I feel kind of shamed since they try to make us look pretty, and I just dress myself in this. They don't seem to mind though, but who knows, we might be filmed right now! But I haven't seen this in any of the years, and that's my least worry now, anyway. I'm going into the arena of the seventy-fourth Hunger Games! Peeta, Rins and Tommy walk in as well. I don't think Haymitch will show up today. I won't even be surprised if he's still asleep. Furthermore every training day is the same: get up, eat, head to the training centre, training, lunch, training, head to my room to change, eat, go to sleep. But on the last day, after lunch, we go directly into a room with twenty-four seats, waiting until it's your turn to show the Gamemakers what you can do best. The boy from district 12, in our case Peeta, is last, so when Thresh, the boy from eleven, has gone, we're left alone. After fifteen minutes or so, they call me. As I walk in, I notice that the Gamemakers aren't interested anymore. They've seen twenty-two tributes arrive and go, and they're as drunk as anything. It's not good. I just walk to the archery and shoot an arrow straight at bulls eye, where it hits. Not much attention, still. So I load another arrow in my bow, and call a partner. He throws apples, fake birds and that sort of stuff, and I don't miss any of them. He starts throwing faster and faster, and I don't care about my Gamemaker-score any more. I don't care about the Gamemakers at all. And it's when an apple flies in front of them, and I hit it, that I notice they've stopped laughing. All of them. They all look at me in, I think, admiration, which is hard to see because most are so drunk. Some gape at me with open mouths and quickly shut them when I look at them. "Thank you, Katniss Everdeen." Seneca Crane, the Head-Gamemaker, says. He opens his mouth to say something else, but then shakes his head to clear it. I good-naturedly give him a nod and walk to the elevator, to ride to my compartment. I lay down on my bed, ignoring Effie, just lying there being tired of the training days. Tomorrow will be the interview and in two days I'll be in the arena. I have to get enough sleep and food now. That's when I decide to go to the dining room. Peeta, of course, is already there, changed. He sit's by the table with Effie, Rins, Haymitch, Tommy, Cinna and Portia. The whole party together. I nod at him and take a seat. "That's better, Katniss." Says Effie, I guess recalling the time she said I was to fast and bad-looking. The others just look at me with questioning faces. "So, what did you do?"

"Archery." They nod, as if not expecting anything else. "And you, Peeta?"

"I threw some weights. One landed on their table. Have they ever given a zero?"

"No," Says Cinna, "And you won't get one." We eat dinner, some rice with chicken, and head off to the sitting room where we'll watch Caesar Flickerman reading the scores of today. I click on the television, and we're right in time, because it starts immediately. The Careers show off, as always, in a eight to ten zone. The rest of us has about five, but little Rue, the girl of district 11, get's an eight as well. I wonder what she has done. Well, it must have been pretty good. Then Peeta's picture flashes on the screen, and we all look at the screen hopefully. Then there's an eleven in front of him. Everybody gives him a big cheer and congratulations, but then we're just as quiet as we were a couple of seconds ago, because my picture's there already. And under it, flashes a big twelve. Twelve! There's a bigger cheer, but we don't feel like feasting, so Effie suggests we'll just go to bed. Rins gives me a wink and Cinna says, "Well, it seems you're not as bad as people might think, girl on fire." I don't want to figure out what he means with that, because I'm really tired. The next thing I know, I'm in my bed, and the sun shines through my window. I stand up an notice it must already be about half past nine, so I head to the dining room and eat with Peeta and Rins. We don't talk much, so I have much time to think about how stupid the Gamemakers are. But after a quarter, Effie bounces in the room, to explain today's schedule. First I have to go with Effie to learn how to walk. Then Rins will work with me on acting and talking, and finally Cinna and Portia will dress us, together with the prep teams. I'm directly expected to be following Effie, and Peeta goes with Rins first. It's horrible to work with Effie. I have to walk on high heals full-time, and I mean really high heals of fifteen centimeters or so, with a long dress where, with the shoes, I trip over all the time. After an hour I go to Rins, hoping I'll have success there, and I get tied up all the time because I never know what to say when he asks something. He really tries to help me, but finally he sees that it's not possible and that I'm as social as a dead slug. Well, then. I hope Cinna can get me in an outfit so gorgeous that no-one listens to me. And when I meet him in my changing room, everything's made ready. I'm instructed to put on some mask so I can't see anything, and I'm dressed in, I think, a dress. Then I have to sit down, they work on my hair, and put off the mask. I still have to close my eyes, because they have to adjust some make-up on my face, and after a while Cinna leads me to a mirror.

"Open your eyes." He says. I look in the mirror and see myself dressed in a red dress with little blue tints. I'm gorgeous. My hair is braided down my shoulder and I've very little make-up on. It's as if I'm on fire. "I'm the girl on fire again."

"No," Cinna corrects me, "You're still burning. So what do you think?"

"I think it's the best so far." The prep team sighs, pleased.

"Well, let's go, then." Cinna leads me to the podium, and says I have to wait for my turn. Peeta's last again, so I have to go one to last. Everybody's doing so well, that I almost run away. I can' t go after them, I'll screw up anyway! It's when Peeta pushes me forward good-naturedly, that I know I have to go. So I take a seat next to Caesar, and think of the public to be dogs. They can see me, but don't understand what I'm saying. Caesar and I greet each other and he makes a couple of jokes. Then he asks what I like best of the Capitol.

"The lamb stew." I have to be honest. Every dog actually laughs. I find Cinna in the public, making some movement with his hands, saying 'Twirl for me.' I stand up and twirl until I'm dizzy, and I notice a lot of dogs gaping at me. I notice that my dress seems to be on fire. When I finally stop, Caesar laughs and compliments Cinna for his wonderful job.

Caesar goes on with asking about the Capitol, district 12, the Hunger Games, and I'm not too bad, really. It's when he asks me about what I said to Prim when we had our goodbye's, that I get tied up. Be honest. "I told her that I'd try to win. For her." At that moment the buzzer goes off, meaning that my interview is over.

"I bet you did, and try you will. Good luck, Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire!" There comes a huge roar of the crowd and I feel myself walking off the stage, ending up staring at a screen where I see Peeta doing his interview. He and Caesar are really good together. They start off by making some jokes about fire and burned porky, and then go on with the interview. It's when Caesar asks if Peeta has a girl back home that it gets my attention.

"Well, there's one girl. But she's not really home anymore." I know he means me.

"Where's she then?"

"Here. In the Capitol, with me." Peeta sighs.

"You mean… Katniss?" Peeta nods. And his buzzer goes off. Great! Now I can never really look into a camera again. I run to my room, watch the recap in there see and how Peeta blows all of us away with his declaration of love for me. Tomorrow I'll go into the arena and Peeta will probably be my ally. But the truth is, I think I'm falling in love with him…


End file.
